and another Nina Simone post

I'm writing a little paper about the queen so there'll probably be a few of these now. Every time I come across some footage of her live I feel I've found a new meaning to the word "performance" This one is in the Netherlands 1965. 40 minutes of a genius at work

Were the 90's really better?

Unfortunately, I'm starting to join those who think so

Egyptism - an update

This was in the U-Bahn a few days ago.

Does Israel still need democracy? (this one is serious)

What's happening in Israel these days is starting to look like a really bad sci-fi-tragi-not-so-comic-more-like-horror movie. An extremely right wing nationalistic government is constantly passing new laws, aimed at restricting the supreme court, the free press and human rights organizations and hurt the status of non-jewish minority groups. 


Professor Zeev Sternhell published this text in Haaretz daily newspaper, it is highly recommend if anyone is interested: Does Israel still need democracy? - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News


Here are some random quotes from it:

The individual has ceased to be at the core of Israel’s democracy, with the right-wing majority aggressively pursuing legislation that turns the country’s non-Jews into second-class citizens. Anyone who allows this to happen will be complicit in the country’s fate.

Making non-Jews into second-class citizens is the objective aspired to by the right-wing majority in Israel. Acting on behalf of this movement are the ministers of justice and foreign affairs, who have the backing of the entire parliamentary elite of the right, except for the Speaker of the Knesset, Reuven Rivlin. Even when the activity is conducted within the framework of the law, it is stridently opposed to the foundations and spirit of democracy, and to the intellectual values of liberalism.

[...] the core of democracy’s existence is the assurance of human rights and individual freedoms. Majority rule is the means to that end, not a goal in itself. Majority rule came into the world as an alternative to rule of the individual or of the few, in order to prevent arbitrariness and to guarantee equality for all. Therefore, majority rule is limited by the purpose for which it was created: Rule of the majority loses its legitimacy the moment it harms human rights and denies universal norms of equality. Through majority rule, democracy can also terminate itself.

[...] the state is not conceived as a device to ensure the well-being of all its citizens, but as a framework that facilitates the enforcement of supremacy of the Jews over those who are not Jews. One should not misunderstand the intentions of the right. The seriousness of the current antidemocratic legislation derives from the fact that it is anchored in an inclusive outlook, that it serves a clear objective, and is nothing but the first stage in the major war to change the character of the state and society in Israel.

At this point, it seems proper that Israelis take stock of their situation. What would we say if the legislation now making its way through the Knesset were to be passed in one of the European countries? What would we be saying if documents were publicized there − akin to the statements and rulings of Israeli rabbis − demanding that apartments not be rented to non-Christians, or forbidding girls from dating non-Christians, even though the reference is to other citizens of that country? Without a doubt, a loud outcry would arise here: The monster is again raising its head. So it would be worthwhile to consider the fact that the monster is already walking, head held high, through the hallways of the Knesset, and proudly displaying its accomplishments. 

Haaretz has also put up a special section covering these disturbing political moves under the title Black flag over Israel's Democracy, please check it out. I'm also talking to some activist friends trying to figure out what's the proper web action to be carried out.


And to conclude in a comic note, here's a PSA produced by the ministry of "Aliya" (the special term that designates much wanted and very much campaigned jewish immigration to Israel), starring my close friend, the beautiful Naama Schendar (she got a lot of money for it, that helped her continue her amazing project, a theater group with jewish and arab kids in Akko, so there is some justice there), aimed at convincing Israelis who live abroad and their families that they must come back ASAP. 
The guy in the ad fails to understand his girlfriend's grief in Israel's memorial day, as instead of having sex with him (and here lies another, more hidden level of the racism in this video: the "gois" are all sex maniacs who want to violate our precious, luscious, innocent girls) she's shedding a tear in front of the computer. 
The text that the responsible-but-yet-warm fatherly voice at the end says is "They will always remain Israelis. Their partners won't always understand what it means. Help them to come back home". Seriously, he says that. 
I repeat, this is not a parody. 

Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi

Continuing the Meaty theme, Subi just showed me this amazing, scary, effective and weirdly entertaining short propaganda film, made by Walt Disney studios in 1943. The film is one of dozens, commissioned by the US Government in the late years of WW2; a deal that saved the studio from bankruptcy, which was an actual threat after the crazy costs of Fantasia. There's something very eerie about it. For more about Disney's involvement in the war propaganda, check out these articles, published during the war in "flying and popular aviation" Mag.

I would try it

This Is from the PETA blog, three years ago (Subi just showed it to me today, what can I do).

 PETA Launches Victimless Nuggets | PETA.org

Haraway's Manifestos

I'm working on this beautiful text now by Donna Haraway called "the Companion Species Manifesto". Haraway, who in the 80's wrote the groundbreaking "Cyborg Manifesto", became at the turn of the millennium more and more interested in animals, and especially dogs. At some point she writes: "I tell stories about stories, all the way down. Woof."

How wonderful!

Luckily, both these texts are available online for free: The Old School Cyborg Manifesto (with the kick-ass ending "I would rather be a cyborg than a goddess") is here and the newer "Companion Species" one is here.

On Psychoanalysis and revolution

Go Roseanne!

A recent visit to one of the (boring) Based in Berlin exhibitions brought this video back to my mind. Israeli artist Asaf Koriat had a video there which was a split screen showing nine divas singing the American national anthem at the opening of the several super bowls. I found this as a good excuse to put one of my all time youtube favs here:



I'm still waiting for an opportunity to make the "Tikva" (Israel's anthem) version with Maya.

Whose up for some sensitivity training?!

Perfect frame, perfect costumes, perfect text. This is well done theater! Thank you Iris for once again exposing me to disturbing imagery

Hello from Tel Aviv

Arale just sent me this pic he took in the "Tikva" neighborhood in Tel Aviv, where most of the struggle against migrant workers takes place. It's one of the hot issues in Israel these days, as is it shelter to many immigrants and refugees from war zones in Africa. Recently, groups of Israelis started protesting around the country, calling to deport the foreigners. Alongside some official, state-paid Rabbis that not so long ago distributed a "psak halacha" (kind of a Jewish religious law) encouraging people not to rent or sell their houses to non-jews, and a series of incredibly-racist-nearly-fascist laws legislated by the government, it looks bad.

The graffiti in the pic reads "deport niggers"

I say war

She was too fucking cool

Some more pix I like from the Warsaw album

the palace of culture

Impressions from a movement (and a movie) in the making

So im in Warsawa. Weird city (will post some more soon). Anyway, this is an image from the first day of shooting here. Of course, quality is iphone shitty, but i like this frame very much. It shows some extras on the set of Yael's new video, the third in the trilogy about the "jewish renaissance movement in poland", which will be presented at the Venice biennale. These guys, dressed like very well equipped cops, were on set all day and being around them wasn't nice at all. Besides the fact that the clothes does make the man, which is always good to remember, it was a nice reminder of another fact, which Althusser wrote about very simply and cleverly: even when "real" cops are wearing these costumes, it's us who give them the relevance to act as if they had some authority. We imagine them and they imagine themselves just like the three guys having fun in this picture.

The plot against art, pt. 1

An amazing article I found in the incredible Occidental Observer (dedicated to "white identity, interest and culture"). The mysterious Dr. Lasha Darkmoon discusses the ways in which organized Jewry destroyed art. Magnificent.